THE HINDU Editorial Vocabulary - July 16, 2018 - Topic 1
A
welcome move: On India's net neutrality regulations
In a vital decision that will help secure the
rights of Internet users in the country, the Telecom Commission has approved
the recommendations of the Telecom Regulatory
Authority of India (TRAI) on net neutrality. By
endorsing steps that call for amendments to access services licences for
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) and Telecom Operators, the Commission has
made it clear that any violation of net neutrality will be treated as a violation
of the licence conditions.
It has said that some specialised and emerging
services such as Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) may be exempt from the
non-discriminatory principles, but these cannot be at the cost of the overall
quality of Internet access. Combining this approval with the fact that TRAI had
barred telecom service providers from charging differential rates for data
services (zero rating, for example), India will now have among the strongest
net neutrality regulations. This is as it should be. Net neutrality is the
basic principle of an open Internet that does not allow for content
discrimination by ISPs. The user is free to access any web location at the same
paid-for speed without any discrimination by the ISP.
This proviso has helped democratise the Internet and undergird its growth from a networked system of computers that enabled
e-commerce, social interaction, knowledge flow and entertainment, among other
functions. Internet pioneers — including World Wide Web inventor Tim
Berners-Lee and Transmission Control Protocol/IP Protocol co-inventor Vint Cerf
— have consistently maintained that the principle of net neutrality is built
into the structure of the Internet itself. The layers and protocols for
connectivity via the network have been erected in such a way that access is
seamless irrespective of the nature of the physical infrastructure of the
network. It is to the credit of the Telecom Commission and TRAI that this
principle has been upheld in India — in contrast, in the U.S., on President
Donald Trump’s watch, the Federal Communications Commission repealed net
neutrality regulations that had been put in place by the Barack Obama
administration. The repeal was ostensibly to allow ISPs and broadband providers
to invest in new technology although evidence shows that such investment was
not affected by the regulations. The other argument for the repeal has been a
functional one, suggesting that the Internet is very different today,
controlled by a handful of big companies, unlike the much more egalitarian
environment earlier; and that therefore, the principle is redundant now. This
is misleading. In India, for instance, the steep growth in Internet access and
use has allowed for newer services to thrive. The government should now ensure
that net neutrality is followed in practice.
Vocabulary
Recommendation: a
suggestion or proposal as to the best course of action, especially one put
forward by an authoritative body.
Example: The
committee put forward forty recommendations for change
Synonyms: advice, counsel, guidance, direction, suggestion, proposal
Endorsing: sign
a check or bill of exchange on the back to make it payable to someone other
than the stated payee or to accept responsibility for paying it.
Example: But
in many cases the payee indorses the cheque even if it is collected for his own
account.
Synonyms: countersign, sign, autograph, authenticate, chirographate
Access: a
means of approaching or entering a place.
Example: The
staircase gives access to the top floor
Synonyms: entrance, entry, way
in, means of entry, approach, means of approach
Violation: the
action of violating someone or something.
Example: The
aircraft were in violation of UN resolutions
Discriminatory: making
or showing an unfair or prejudicial distinction between different categories of
people or things, especially on the grounds of race, age, or sex.
Example: Discriminatory
employment practices
Synonyms: prejudicial, biased, prejudiced, preferential, unfair, unjust, invidious, inequitable
Interaction: reciprocal
action or influence.
Example: Ongoing
interaction between the two languages
Consistent: unchanging
in achievement or effect over a period of time.
Example: Manufacturing
processes require a consistent approach
Synonyms: constant, regular, uniform, steady, stable, even, unchanging, undeviating
Erected: construct
a building, wall, or other upright structure
Example: The
guest house was erected in the eighteenth century
Synonyms: build, construct, put
up, assemble, put together, fabricate
Irrespective: not
taking something into account; regardless of.
Example: Child
benefit is paid irrespective of income levels
Synonyms: regardless
of, without regard to/for, notwithstanding, whatever
Ostensibly: apparently
or purportedly, but perhaps not actually.
Example: Portrayed
as a blue-collar type, ostensibly a carpenter
Synonyms: apparently, seemingly, on
the face of it, to all intents and purposes
Redundant: not
or no longer needed or useful; superfluous.
Example: This
redundant brewery has been converted into a library
Synonyms: unnecessary, not
required, inessential, unessential, needless
